Disability insurance can provide peace of mind in case of an accident or illness that prevents you from working. New York Life Insurance Company’s portfolio of disability insurance products includes Long Term Disability Insurance and Disability Income Insurance for key business persons, as well as group disability products for employers.
Although disability insurance benefits are meant to replace lost income, insurance companies do not always pay disability benefits as they should, even with legitimate disability claims.
Top Reasons for New York Life Disability Denials
There are many reasons why New York Life Insurance Company may have denied your long-term disability claim. You or your legal team can review your denial letter to determine New York Life’s specific reason for denying your claim for disability benefits.
In this video, Nick Ortiz will discuss the most common reasons for a New York Life disability claim denial.
What To Do After a Claim Denial
Despite the promises made when pushing their insurance policies, New York Life frequently denies claims for disability benefits. If your claim is denied you should be notified by mail, and maybe email as well. In some cases, a claims administrator may call the claimant to notify them of the denial.
However, you still need to make sure you receive a written copy of the decision. The written decision should state the reasons the insurer denied your claim, inform you about your right to file an appeal, and state the deadline by which you must appeal your claim with New York Life.
Once you have received your denial letter you should also request a copy of your claim file and your New York Life disability insurance policy so you can review all of the information that was available for review when the decision was issued as well as the policy’s definition of disability. You may also need your policy to determine the appropriate disability law that governs your case.
Filing an Appeal with New York Life Insurance Company
Fortunately, a claim denial does not mean that your claim is over. Depending on the type of disability insurance policy that you have there are particular disability laws that will govern your claim and dictate the legal process you must go through to fight back against the denial.
Group New York Life Disability Insurance Claims
If you have a New York Life disability policy that was obtained as part of a group benefits plan then your policy is likely governed by ERISA. ERISA disability claims have strict appeal procedures and deadlines. ERISA requires that you file an internal or administrative appeal if your claim for disability benefits is denied or terminated.
The time limit to appeal the denial of your long-term disability claim is very limited, usually only 180 days. Under some policies, you may have a second, voluntary appeal. If you do not file the required appeal within the required amount of time, then you will not be able to take legal action against the insurer.
Individual New York Life Disability Insurance Claims
Individual disability policies and government employee disability policies are not governed by ERISA. If you have an individual policy or are a government employee and your long-term disability insurance claim has been denied or cut off, you may not have to file an administrative appeal to enforce your rights.
In fact, you may be able to skip the appeal process altogether and proceed directly to filing a lawsuit against New York Life Insurance Company. You should consult with an experienced disability lawyer to determine your legal rights and the best way to obtain your long-term disability benefits.
Work With a New York Life Disability Attorney
If your long-term disability claim was denied, we can help you recover the benefits that are rightfully yours. We are not afraid to take on New York Life, or any other major disability insurance companies. We do not handle all short-term disability claims, but if you have a long-term disability claim that will also be affected, we may be able to handle both your short-term disability and long-term disability claims.
Our disability lawyers offer a free disability policy review and consultation for those whose Florida long-term disability claims have been denied. Nick A. Ortiz and his experienced legal team are familiar with disability law and offer the following services for individuals that have a long term disability insurance policy or individual disability income policy with insurance companies like New York Life:
- Appeal of a denial of individual or government disability benefits from New York Life;
- ERISA appeal of a New York Life Insurance Company denial of group disability claim;
- Appeal of a New York Life wrongful termination of individual or government long term disability insurance claim;
- ERISA appeal of a New York Life Insurance Company wrongful termination of group long-term disability benefits;
- Filing a lawsuit against New York Life after final denial of individual or government disability claims;
- Filing an ERISA lawsuit against New York Life after final denial of group disability benefits; and
- Lump-sum buyout or settlement of New York Life long-term disability policies in lieu of New York Life’s monthly long-term disability insurance benefits payments.
New York Life Says I Need to Apply For Social Security Disability Benefits (SSDI)
It is not unusual for a disability insurance company to require disabled individuals to file a claim for SSDI benefits. Under the terms of most insurance policies, the insurer can reduce the amount they pay you each month by the amount of the SSDI benefits you receive.
If your claim is denied, you will be encouraged to proceed with the appeal process. The SSA does not pay any short-term disability benefits, so for your claim to be successful you must prove that your medical conditions will prevent you from working for a period of 12 continuous months.
We also handle disability claims with the Social Security Administration (SSA). If New York Life is requesting that you file for SSDI benefits then we can assist you with that claim as well. Much of the medical evidence used to support your disability insurance claim can also be used to support a claim with the SSA, so it often makes sense to hire one disability attorney that can handle both claims.
New York Life Acquired Cigna Group Insurance
New York Life Insurance Company has acquired Cigna Group Insurance, which is now known as New York Life Group Benefit Solutions. Prior to this merger, New York Life focused primarily on individual disability insurance, but now they are one of the largest carriers of group disability insurance.
We are already receiving correspondence from New York Life Group Benefit Solutions on behalf of our clients, which states that we should not notice any changes other than the new company name, which will appear in place of “Cigna Group Insurance” moving forward.
Contact information for existing claims, such as phone numbers and mycigna.com remain the same at this time (unless otherwise specified on a case by case basis).
New York Life Insurance Company’s acquisition of Cigna Group Insurance will not impact our ability to help policyholders with their long-term disability claims. We have experience representing both New York Life and Cigna Group Insurance policyholders, and we will put that experience to use representing New York Life Group Benefit Solutions’ policyholders as well. Call us today for a free disability claim consultation with an experienced disability lawyer.
Get a Free Consultation with a New York Life Disability Lawyer
Ortiz Law Firm specializes in disability claims with insurance carriers like New York Life and helping the disabled receive the pay they deserve. If your disability case has been denied by New York Life, the attorneys at our firm can help. We will review your claim to determine your next step in the process, and we will not rest until we have recovered the disability insurance benefits you deserve.
Let us help you get your claim approved. Call our office today at (888) 321-8131 or fill out our contact form to request a free consultation with a New York Life disability lawyer. We will evaluate the specific details of your New York Life disability insurance claim and the disability law that applies to your situation to determine how a disability attorney at our firm can help you get the disability benefits you deserve.